Pretense
by WhoKnewZeus
Summary: So... My first Homestuck fanfic... I've included John x Rose, Jade x Dave, and the main pairing Dirk x Jake. You interested yet? No? Of course not! Why would you? This is a pretty random and wordy story. But I hope some people will enjoy this story. Even if it sucked. I'll eventually change the summary once I have a hence of what my story revolved around...


**Gotta love being bored! It always brings some sort of creativity or activity for me to do! Just kidding, sometimes that could happen... But most of the time, I'm opening new tabs and not knowing what to do with them afterwards so I just close them again, and just watch my laptop screen with a blank face. Anyways, here's a random story I decided to work on while I was bored! Enjoy**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or whatsoever!**

**Warning: This is extremely random and probably won't make much sense. If you still wish to continue anyways, no one's stopping you... But you've been warned! This might also be pretty damn LONG, so you might want to bring some snacks, drinks, put some music on while you read, because you know, it's pretty long, hahaha...Okay, I'm done. Continue On.**

* * *

_"Stop touching me there!" Jade laughed out loud. She tried to get away from Dave and his lingering fingers. He always tries to tickle her when she's not in the mood to be happy. Jade wasn't in any particular mood to fool around with Dave as he was about to leave the care of the house they lived together in. Because in a few moments, he was about to say goodbye to her and walk through the white door. Then Jade was truly alone for a while. So for a few more minutes, a few more damn minutes... She wanted to touch him and leave fingerprints for people to know that he was HER property. _

_In another place way farther from Jade and Dave's house, John and Rose preparing for a departure as well. Rose kissed her man tenderly before he gave her one more hug to clung onto. It won't be long until he had to disappear from Rose's sight to attend something very important that he couldn't even tell Rose. Surprisingly, Rose didn't have any objections to his choice of leaving her for a stint that will possibly last for a month or so. She was strong enough to endure for her lover. Besides, that was how she was raised: to be strong and independent. However, it is as if her strength is faltering and her independence is fading as she lets John escape her grasp. A tear jerked her eye but she contained it in her eye as she kept observing her man leave out the door._

_Somewhere in the world, a place that is far from all the four lovers, there was an another pair that was a little more distinguished from the rest. They were more different in their own unique way, and they clicked together like magnets. They were so different, so strange, yet so the same. "Dirk! You better come back immediately after you're done doing whatever miscellaneous objective you're being called out to do. Just come back home safe, I don't know what I would do if you left and never came back." Jake yammered his boyfriend with wordy rambles._

_"I'll be fine, Jake. Just calm those tits. I promise to immediately to come back home the moment I'm done with doing whatever. Just await for my arrival, kay?" Dirk stated. He was fearless and cool. The tone he was using was so reassuring that Jake held on to it and nodded his head._

_Before Dirk got into his car, he looked at Jake and said, "when I come back, it's boner city for you," winked and started up his engine. Jake giggled to his lover's little pun, it was a good jest to remember before everything begins to get dark. _

* * *

Jade stood in her backyard aiming at a couple of old beer bottles and carefully shot her rifle at all the glass containers. She fired one shot, then two, and then three. In no time she was watching the sky glitter under the glass' mirror-like shards and everything that remained of the beer bottles rained down upon the ground. Jade smiled to the thought of her precious Dave to return home once again. It's been precisely a month since she last saw Dave, and so far, life hasn't been so awful to her as she thought it would be.

Jade grew tired of standing around under the strong rays of the giant star in the sky, so she went back into the house and made herself some lemonade to drink. With too much time on her hands, she decided to waste some of it on a phone call to her best friend, Rose. Jade dialed up Rose's number and began to wait for her dear friend to pick the line up.

"Hello?" The voice echoed from the other side. Jade gasped to hear her friend's voice again.

"Rose! My gosh, it's been too long!" Jade quickly blasted her friend's ear with her lifeful voice.

"You indeed still have the same excitement as before. How have you been?"

"You know, nothing special, I guess. Dave just left me for something, so I'm stuck with all this time and such."

"What a coincidence! John also left around last month to do something. Men are strange." Rose sounded exasperated from the other line, Jade just happened to picked that up. It also surprised her that Rose's boyfriend also left last month, the time Dave left to embark on whatever journey. It stumped the girl to think about where those two were going and why...

Rose hung up before Jade had the chance to say goodbye. Rose was in her bedroom contemplating over what she was doing with her life. What direction was she heading without John? What is John doing at this very moment? Does he think of her at the slightest, or at most? Questioned filled up the hole in Rose's heart that John made, and she was trying so hard for those particular questions not to get to her. But they did... And she hated the voice in her mind that was telling her that he wasn't okay. That he was cheating. That John was with another woman probably.

Nonetheless, a month away really wrecked the woman's mind. She needed to breathe, she had to calm herself down and make all the questions shut the fuck up. She was just really tired. It was the most liable reason for why she was thinking this way. Rose repeated a couple of words to herself to mitigate her worries from her peace, "you're a strong woman. You can await for John's return. You are John's only idiot girlfriend. No one can have him because he was a geek. He was unbearable. He's strange in every way. Yet, you _love _him either way..." The blonde woman stopped thinking... She clutched her fists and let out a sigh and saw the _light_ of the situation.

It's true, absolutely true. She loves John Egbert, because he was the air she breathes and she was the light that shined when he drifts into darkness. The courage in her heart overwhelmed the despair that was rooting itself to her beliefs and contaminating her thoughts was finally eradicated.

* * *

It became a different story for Jake when his lover left him. He would do nothing but stare out the window and watched the sky go black, the birds ceasing their songs, and the light of day escaping his sight. For an odd, unspecific reason, Dirk built a robot form of himself to watch over Jake while he was away. It sort of freaked him out at first, but in time, he learned to enjoy the Dirk Bot's company. It was as if the real one was by his side and never ever left. It was sincerely nice...

"Do you want something to drink, master Jake?" The robot used Dirk's voice, but it was a bit more static compared to the real one. No matter, Jake smiled at the metallic Dirk and shook his head. Then without haste, the mechanical being left his sight until he was called upon.

Jake sighed to the scene that reminded him too much of Dirk walking out. It's obviously pointless. No doubt about it. He needed to start a hobby or something to spend his day with. Although, where Dirk and Jake live, they were isolated from the rest of the world. There was civilization nearby their house a couple miles away. Other than that, they were isolated and lived off of each other's attention and love. They were happy that way; being happy and distanced. It's not like it affected their way of interacting with other human beings. They needed to stock up on food from time to time, as well as other necessary materials to sustain their lives so they needed to be able to have manners and treated others how they want to be treated... Normal... They became no different from anyone else once they entered a store to buy something, it was almost as if they lived right next door along with everyone else.

Unaware that his cellphone was ringing, Jake hesitated to pick it up. His fingers lightly touched the device and played around with his thoughts. The man contemplated whether or not to answer it. He didn't want to hear _his _voice calling him, beckoning him back into his embrace. Jake doesn't know if his heart could hold back all the feelings he's been holding deep inside once Dirk's voice omits itself throughout his head. It's a trivial matter, and Jake knows it; yet, he's making things melodramatic. Not really his style, but perhaps that's what happens when love enters an individual.

Jake inhaled and blew away his frustration, then with all his courage, he picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Jake, my love, how are you doing so far?"

"I-I'm fin-fine... All flowers and sunshine over here..."

"Jake? Are you crying over there?"

"Sorry, I just can't help myself..."

"It's okay, everything will be all right. Sorry that it is taking this long before I arrive home." Dirk's voice tried to comfort the broken down lad. It was truly bittersweet that Jake was feeling; happy to hear Dirk's voice after so long, yet so depressing.

"Just finish whatever you're doing, you big goof." Jake snickered as he wiped away a trail of dry tears. Both of the separated lovers hung up and began to resume their day. The walls crept closer to comfort the English man. Jake contemplated alone just for awhile, playing with his fingers and wandering in and out of rooms. He felt as if he was suffocating under all the pressure that building up. Sweat starting to form, and the jitters ruled his body, he went to fetch something out of the fridge to calm him down.

* * *

It became the second month since Dirk has last seen his beloved Jake. The cool male occasionally took out his iPhone and daze off into his wallpaper of him and Jake wearing their gas mask and shoulder-hugging. Not enough for Dirk, he wasn't satisfied with just pictures of the past. He wanted the real, genuine Jake. Not a lingering photo on his phone. He yearned to embrace Jake's slim body and touch the golden-tan skin with his own gentle fingers. There was going to be much caressing and kissing when Dirk came back, indeed. For now, Dirk had to focus on different matters...

"DIRK! Stop dazing off and help me eliminate these little freaks!" A woman with symbol of a blue slug as her necklace. She set her eyes on a disgusting, sludgy, little monster that was walking upright and leaving a trail of black ooze. She locked the creature on with her laser canon and blasted the repugnant creature out of its misery.

"Sorry, Jane, I got caught in the clouds again. I won't let it happen again." Dirk articulated as he pulled out his long, steel katana and slashed down a couple of imps that was in his way.

"What are these?" John remarked as he smashed one of little imps with his giant hammer.

"I believe they are imps, and some other creatures that came along with that. Which we don't know what to call them as well." Dave came along with his sword, which was identical to Dirk's. The four of them huddled together and began devising a plan to handle the overwhelming numbers of these monsters.

"Quite a reunion isn't it?" Jane happily asked. With no disagreement, they all nodded to the young woman's words.

The four heroes were in a deserted wasteland, but for an odd reason it was crawling with mysterious monsters. It didn't really matter how those freaks got there, but there was something that Jane, John, Dirk, and Dave were going to do; make them all disappear. All of them got their weapons ready as another wave of monsters came dashing at them. It was like an infinite wave, non-stop action, they just kept coming...

* * *

Jake jolted as a sudden shock in his body awakened his heart. He doesn't know it, but he feels like something just happened and it has an very unpleasant effect on him. He tried to clear his mind of all trivial matters because he wanted to relax for however long Dirk hasn't returned home yet. The English male imagined in his head a picture of himself. He was under the arms of someone with broad arms. It felt safe, comfortable, and warm. It was more than the word welcoming, it had something to it that really made it stand out.

_"I love you, Jake." _

Oh, that's right. It was _love _that was added to the mood. The special part about it was the fact Jake knew who was holding him. None other then his lover, Dirk of course!

The phone ringed in the living and Jake went to fetch the device. "Hello?"

"Jake? This is Roxy. Listen, Jake. This is really important-"

"No, listen to me, Roxy. I've been depressed for a while now, and it's truly best if I just sulk the entire phase out and just lay down a bit." Clearly exasperated. Roxy didn't reply back and made a tired sigh.

"No, _you _listen, Jake. Dirk, Dave, Jane, and John are fighting a force that is clearly out of this fucking world and Jane hasn't responded to my last message to the crew. I'm beginning to worry that something has happened to them." Roxy articulated her words. Defeated in the end, Roxy tried a couple breathing exercises to clear her head. She hissed out her anger to suppress the urge to get a jet or flying vehicle fly over to Jake's house and beat the snot out of him.

"Where are they?" Jake asked Roxy. Without any second thoughts, she found herself in a one-way road. She had no way of averting the situation, Jake already knew half of everything that's going on, so there was no need to hide anything else. He was taking it pretty well anyways. "I'm going to fucking rescue Dirk then!" Jake yelled through the phone. Roxy was thinking that he had taken it well, but her thoughts seem to have failed her.

"God, you are hopeless. Okay listen up..."

Within moments Jake was riding on robot Dirk's back and the robot began its foot rockets and flew off in the sky with Jake hanging on. Jake realized how much danger Dirk was in and that motivated him to try and get her lover back home.

* * *

Roxy only hoped that she was able to reach everyone and tell them the current situation. She really hoped that Jade and Rose received the voice mail that she left, because now everything was coming to an end. Roxy was inside a metal concealed room- complete with locks on the doors, no windows, and emergency supply of food and beverages. It was all she had before _they _came in and obliterate her very existence. The monsters were right outside of the steel door and kept away from Roxy as she contacted the others and giving herself a moment to contemplate where her life could have been.

Roxy was at headquarters, which was just an average-sized building that looked repugnant on the outside. Every room was deserted and practically creepy with dull wallpapers starting to slip off. The headquarters was located nearby the battlefield that Jane, Dave, John and Dirk were fighting at. It was suppose to be convenient just in case they had to retreat and rethink their plans and what not. It became clear where the building was located to the imps and other monsters, so they invaded it without any hassle due to the very low defense it held. The only thing protective was the safe room, which was the one Roxy was trapped in.

She prayed for the safety of her friends and gave God her final wishes before a dent on the iron door appeared. Roxy didn't have much time left to say anymore final words. She truly hoped her friends were all right, she only wished she had more time to live as old as a granny, and then die peacefully. More dents on the door appeared and then it finally broke down. Roxy stared at the broken door and the monsters blocking the exit before they all came charging at her. She smiled one last time before she viciously mauled down...

* * *

Jake felt a shudder climb down his spine. It was almost like something terrifying and heart-breaking just happened. Nonetheless, he shrugged it away and continued to fly across the sky and clouds to Dirk's location. The robot he was riding already had the destination locked in its system, getting there wasn't going to be a problem. However, trying to rescue Dirk and escaping will most likely have some difficulties. Still, Jake was prepared for whatever was in his path; with his two pistols of some sort. He knew he was going to get into unknown and life-threatening danger, but for Dirk, English was going to do his absolute best and confidently bring the blond home.

Finally arriving the deserted area, Jake noticed the overwhelming amount of black sludge and bodies lying around. The sight of the dead really destroyed the male's reason and innocence. In fact, it was actually Jake's first time seeing something actually lying around dead. The smell, the clear view of it, English couldn't take it in. He felt his stomach hurl everything he ate earlier. It was a sickening sight to him. Mustering up the courage to move on, Jake ordered the robot to go into cloak-mode and wait for his signal to pick him up. Once Jake pressed the red button on his wristwatch, the robot instantly disappeared. But it was still in the same place it landed.

Jake began to walk around hoping to discover something that was relevant to his search for his lover. He just needed a clue. Something to just give away where Dirk was hiding. Jake walked around the deserted location and found nothing. He was getting real tired of just walking and not finding anything useful whatsoever. Until he finally found something interesting.

It was a creepy abandoned house. But Jake wondered what it was doing in such an area. "Seriously, who in the right mind builds a house in the middle of freakin' nowhere?" No matter what, he still entered the house and inspected every room. All the rooms had wallpaper losing its glue so it was sliding off the walls, and also gave off an unwelcome atmosphere. As Jake wondered the abandoned house, he discovered a room with a broken down iron door. He touched the walls and shuddered to the dark environment. He felt as if someone was watching him.

"Man, something really reeks in this room," Jake stated as he walked deeper into the darkness and deeper into the room. With no light he was going to have to try his best to be careful on where he was.

The smell of something rotting got closer and Jake was close to hurling his insides again. Then he saw Roxy's body and then the boy finally let everything out. His tears started to jerk his eye, the pain grew large inside of his chest. Everything was hurting. His mind was a disaster. He gave Roxy's corpse a moment of silence and prayed for her before he ran out the room and exit the house. Jake took a pleasant breathing break before he continued his journey to find Dirk, plus killing whatever murdered Roxy. Something ignited inside of Jake and transformed the young male into the person he thought he would never be.

An imp ascended from the ground and tried to attack Jake. But little did the imp know that Jake wasn't playing around anymore. Jake English was finally done what's been going on and it was about damn time he did something about it. As the imp tried to slash Jake with its claws, Jake dodged the attack in one clean movement. He then got out one of his pistols and shoved it in the imp's mouth and pulled the trigger without hesitation. He watched as the imp's really dark blood spatted all over the ground behind it and then collapsed to its death. Jake glared at the body and scoffed at the hideous creature on the floor that he killed.

Just like if it was on cue, numerous other monsters appeared from the ground and stared down Jake with such hunger in their eyes. Jake only reloaded his pistols and began firing ruthlessly. He always tried to hide this side of him from Dirk. Only because his precious lover might not be able to adjust so well if Dirk found out that he was a cold-blooded hunter underneath the sweet facade he hid behind. As the bullet rode the air and blasted away the brains of an unknown monster, Jake felt a smile creep up his face. Something about shooting the fuck out of those beasts' brains off really thrilled the male. Jake's inner nature seemed to reveal itself. Finally free, grasping at its only moments of doing such violent and terrible acts against the monsters that faced him, Jake felt rejuvenated!

As more creatures came at Jake, bullets were everywhere in the air. The round, metallic object spiraled towards multiple enemies and pierced through their skulls. Bodies kept falling and flying because of the shock wave. Jake wasn't _Jake _anymore. He was someone else. Someone beyond the chained door that was within Jake's mind. English let out a sigh as he watch the battlefield become a graveyard in an instant. Once all enemies were eliminated, Jake's sanity returned and he quickly realized all the black sludge and dead bodies everywhere. He ran away from the scene as fast as possible trying to find Dirk or any of the others. He just needed to be around someone and no longer alone.

* * *

Rose and Jade finally received the voice mail that was sent by Roxy. They felt worthless knowing they don't have any possible way of helping the others out there. They did not have a convenient transportation like Jake English so they were stuck at home. Sulking and depressing themselves over the safety and concern for their friend's welfare. All they could do was _wait_... Wait for everyone to end the battle and go home.

Meanwhile, Dave and Dirk combined their superhuman speed and swiftly and smoothly took down about another fifty more monsters. They quickly passed a high five to each other before going right back to cutting down more of those awful critters. John swung his hammer side to side, knocking a couple of enemies out of his way, and then he jumped in the air and smashed the earth causing a tremor to shake the land quite a bit. As one of the imps tried to jump onto John's back, Jane quickly fired her laser cannon straight at the foul being. John and Jane happily exchanged smiles before going continuing where they left off.

In the verge of their strength, the waves of monsters seemed to decreased heavily and became much more smaller. But the four warriors were too tired to even go on. Jane's laser cannon already ran out of power and she was resorting to using her own bare fists to fight off the remainder of the monster army. Dave and Dirk were on their knees trying to catch their breath. John, too, was trying to breath in the necessary oxygen to keep his body from fainting. All four of them were wounded in various places and their clothes were ragged.

Dirk knew already was at their limit, but the monsters already began moving towards them. Without a moment of second thoughts, he charged the whole army by himself and hoped that he would buy enough time for the crew to refuel their energy and fight back these wicked beings. Dirk was able to hear little complaints coming behind from the rest of them. Most of them must have been Jane's though, he thought.

"DIRK! Come back, you fool!" Jane yelled her anger and concern at once. She watched as the blond dived into the horde and could hear the clamor he was making as many bodies began to fall apart.

Dirk ripped, slashed, and maliciously cut down his opponents. He made no room for mercy and kept on going until everything stopped moving and his lungs clogged up with blood. His piercing orange eyes looked down at his shirt and saw one of the imps hands impaled right through his chest and striking through his lungs. His katana slowly fell out of his hands grip and collided with the dirt floor. Everything was going black and the light was losing its brightness, including the beautiful sun. "Oh fuck..." Dirk coughed before falling to the ground. His senses started to leave, but he was able to hear Jane's touch and voice- shaking him and telling him to stay the fuck alive. But it was far too late for the himself, Dirk knew it for sure. There was no escaping Death this time. Dirk wanted to wake up and be fine and kiss his boyfriend and live normally. But he guesses that's just too much to ask?

He also heard Dave and John fighting and screaming in the background as they fought off the rest of the obnoxious monsters. Dirk tried to speak some words, but the blood caught in his lungs and throat made it far too difficult to even say a letter or sound, besides the sound of him dying. "T-Te-Tell... Ja-Jake..." Dirk tried so hard to speak with whatever strength he had left.

"That he's an... I-Idiot.. And I l-love him fu-for that..." And the blond quickly drew his last breath before he closed his eyes one last time and drifted off into an eternal sleep. Jane poured every tear she held back onto his blood-stained shirt. The instant rush of pain overwhelmed her and left to be swallowed by the grievance of losing her close friend. Her world slowly crumbled apart, every memory of Dirk flooded at her, and the pain became much more developed and more painful.

* * *

Jake stumbled across the battlefield that the four warriors were fighting on and, at last, found them. He made his legs run like a kid trying to catch an ice cream truck. He was overjoyed to see his long awaited friends and his awaited boyfriend at last! How joyous Jake absolutely felt... Until he saw something his eyes wasn't suppose to catch.

"DIRK!"

* * *

It's a been approximately three-and-a-half weeks since the battle that took place. Everyone attended Dirk and Roxy's funeral. Everyone quietly shed a tear for the love ones that were loss. Once everyone went home, Jade and Dave cuddled together until they fell asleep. And John and Rose kissed happily to welcome each other back and prayed for Dirk and Roxy's spirits before going to sleep. Jane forced a smile before she left the funeral but everyone knew she was just trying to be strong.

Jake sat alone in his living room with a blank face. He watched the shadows danced in his lonely house and his eyes observed in a gloomy resolution. Everything reminded him of his beloved. The walls Dirk used to push Jake to, and tenderly kissed Jake's neck. Everything was coming back to English. It became impossible to escape the reality of it all. The photos became _his _last fragments of what remained of Dirk. His frustration reached the zenith and Jake's emotions and thoughts erupted.

"Dirk... You bastard..." Jake sobbed, his burning tears streaming down a hot trail of pain and yearn. Jake's chide for weakness was strong, but his love was too well-built and constructed. So once his love crumbled to dust, his whole pride and joy came falling to pieces. It devastated the male looking at all the photographs that were hanged on the wall. Because it would only add to his own destruction gazing at the perfect memories he created with Dirk.

Purely out of rage, Jake smashed and torn down all the photographs. To make himself feel mitigated, he picked out the photos and torn them piece by piece and watch his memories go down to the floor. Then he collected the small paper bits and put them in his fireplace and scorched the tiny, thin papers to a crisp. However, it didn't work. The cool blond was embedded in his mind. It was _forever _there and will always haunt him. Mortified that he was trying to forget the only person in the world that he truly loved, Jake fell to the floor and cried more beautiful, pure raindrops.

A void was created in his heart and everything was being swallowed up. The world began to lose color and its sound became silent. The only sound that was being produced was Jake's croaks and sobs. He couldn't say anything, he could not even let go of his Dirk. The despair inside of him fed on his pain and introduced a more provocative approach to his heart strings. The despair ended but something much more tragic was going to arrive; his body and mind had accepted the _reality _of it all. Dirk is, and forever now, dead... It was the cold, hard truth. Jake knew it since he was there when it happened. The blood on his hands, the raindrops that kept falling on Dirk's pale face, and the soft and bittersweet kiss he left on Dirk's blood-stained lip. Oh yes, Jake clearly remembered it all.

The male stood up and breathed for a few moments. He was done locking himself in his misery. As cruel as reality was already, Jake knew he had to move on. Dirk would have wanted him to do it as well. Jake was for sure of it. He smiled with the tears already starting to dry, he felt his heart crack just trying to put up a pretense, but it was for the best. The male stopped sulking and went to bathroom to lose himself under the relaxing steam of his shower.

Jake opened up his bathroom light and turned on his bathtub. He waited a couple minutes before the water amounted to the depth of the tub. He slowly stripped his clothes and dived into his warm, rejuvenating waters. He sank deeper into the water while he held his breath. Only the bubbles floating to the top was the only sound he could hear. And the voice in his mind speaking to him...

_You are Jake English..._

_You are Dirk Strider's boyfriend..._

_You **WERE**_ _Dirk Strider's boyfriend..._

_You're falling apart and the world you built with Dirk is beautifully crumbling... How do you cope? How do you understand?_

_You remember Dirk's blood on your bare skin, his dead body in your arms as you cried your heart out for the dead male._

_You suddenly remember his soft laughs, his perfectly blond hair, and his destructive and gentle orange eyes that was always hungry for your body..._

_With no words, without a goodbye, you kiss his pale lips and wish him the best on his new journey..._

* * *

**Well, wasn't that complete shit!? :D HAHAHA, I did awful on this story. Then again, it was completely for fun and wasn't meant to make much sense, let alone, be good compared to other writers... Now I feel shitty... Oh screw it. I think there were some parts of this story I really did enjoy though, and if anyone is still confused or want some clearing up on anything, just message me! Other than that, if you really ACTUALLY LIKED this completely long and random story was purely made out of boredom, please review. I always love to have another person's opinion on my work. If they don't criticize me too harshly... I'm done now. Bye.**


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